Process of effecting chemical reactions



Patented Apr. 21, 1936 v PROCESS OF EFFECTING CHEMICAL REACTIONSClarence J. *Frankforter, Lincoln, Nebn, and Dwight B. Mapes,Wilmington, Calif assignors to Frankfurter Oil Process, Inc., Omaha,Nebn, a corporation of Nebraska No Drawing. Application March 30, 1931,

' Serial NO. 526 452 1 Claim. (Cl; 204-31) The present invention relatesto a process for complete reaction. This will be accomplished inefliciently bringing about chemical reactions and accordance with theapparatus of our aforesaid more particularly to a method of reactingupon application and following the process therein organic compounds.outlined.

5 Primarily the invention relates to reduction of The pressuresemployed, will necessarily vary 5 organic compounds with hydrogen inahigh state with the specific organic compound under treatof activationwhereby various organic compounds ment, and the activated gas will besupplied to are produced which at the present time can be the reactionchamber at a pressure suflicient to obtained only by expensivecommercial procedure. prevent diffusion of the organic materials, whenThe process of this invention is conducted with in gaseous phase intothe activating passage and 10 an apparatus and following the methodoutlined when in the liquid phase sufiicient to permit the in ourcopending application filed March 30, 1931, activated gas to bubblethrough the liquid. In

Serial No. 526,453. other words, in the vapor phase the activated hy- Inthis application we have described a method drogen will be supplied at apressure preferably 5 of activating hydrogen externally of the reaction,but slightly greater than that of the vapors in chamber or line andwherein the hydrogen is acorder to produce intimate contact and optimumt vated by contact with a heated granular matereaction and in the liquidphase the activated gas rial such as pumice, which is coated or impregwill be supplied at a pressure and in such a mannated with an activatingsubstance such as platiner that the bubbles of activated hydrogen willnum, nickel, or their alloys, and confined in a pass into the liquid andenable the reaction to go 2 passage outside of the reaction chamber. Weforward to the desired end. have, moreover, described a method ofactivation With respect to temperatures, the temperature wherein anelectric resistance element of platiof the gas will preferably becontrolled dependnum, nickel-chromium, platinum-iridium, or ent upon thenature of the organic compound '25 similar alloys, is interposed in thepassage for the under treatment and we would say that the acpurpose ofactivating the hydrogen, and as afurtivating material should be at atemperature ther embodiment of this idea we have disclosed somewherebetween 500 F. and 1700" F., for the a very eflicient method wherein animpressed best results. While we prefer an apparatusas voltage isemployed whereby highly energized set forth in said copendingapplication, it will particles traverse the path of the gas through beunderstood that we will use the apparatus and the passage and activateit to a. very high degree. process set' forth in the patent to ClarenceJ. Thorough activation takes place by thermionic Frankfurter, No;1,780,873, November 4, 1930. effect, or the interposition of anelectrostatic It will be understood that the invention confield, whichcauses a bombardment of the gas templates obtaining reduction of organiccommolecules by electrically charged particles. pounds, many of whichare, of course, well known, 35

' By any one of the methods outlined, the gas as well as differentproducts by the process herein is activated substantially out of contactwith the outlined. reaction chamber so that the activating means Theadvantages of the present process over of itself will exert no efiectupon the organic reknown commercial methods will atonce be ap- 40actions contemplated. Furthermore, a fresh suppredated. with presentreduction and hydroply of constantly activated gas wil be pp genationreactions which require a catalyst, the to the reaction chamber 1n amaximum State of effectiveness of the catalyst upon which the procaciiitvatlilon or in the optimum condition im the ess depends is subject atan times to-the disadvam pa ic ar reaction u the rescue of small eltherof these methods the c l i a rft ti es 212 ;11 :111 li n i piiritiessuch a s sulphur 45 preseiiit invention contemplates the reduction ofarsenic or phosphorus in theorgamc material orga c compounds suchasesters, phenols,,aldehydefs, kettgtrlies, nitro derivatives andsulphonates; fi lg z gz fizifig g gfig gg 25 2: 2; unsa ura com d poun sand Vanous l-lelated or order to obviate such difiiculties at thepresent 50 ganic combinations. 1 0 i The reaction may be car i d t withthe time, the organic raw material is subjected to to remove all tracesganic materials in either the liquid or the vapor Various PurifyingP10095895 phase, and it is only necessary that the activated Of thesecatalystic poisons, and since this must hydrogen be supplied to theliquid or. vapors in be accomplished before-the catalystic hydrogena- 55such a manner as to permit intimate contact and tion or reduction can becarried out, the cost of a tion process employing activated hydrogen, it

the reaction is materially increased and in many cases is prohibitive.

By the present invention we have discovered a means of effectively andeconomically activating hydrogen to a very remarkable degree and employa process whereby organic reduction reactions can be efiectively carriedout to give uniformly successful results. By our process it becomesunnecessary to remove so-called catalytic poisons and to this end itwill be observed that the activation of the hydrogen takes placeexternally of the reaction chamber so that there is no possibility ofcatalytic impairment, and in fact catalysis is not resorted to in thereaction. While we have referred in this case to a reducmay beunderstood that we'ma'y, in a similar manner, produce oxygenatedproducts by activating the oxygen in a similar manner and supplying itto various organic materials in either liquid or vapor phase inaccordance with the method described. Specifically, we use our processfor treating various types of organic compounds capable of being reactedupon by activated oxygen, such as hydrocarbons of various series,alcohols, aldehydes, and amino derivatives, as well as other organicmaterials.

Furthermore, in referring herein to hydrogen and oxygen as the gaseswhich will be activated, it will be understood that we may use anyhydrogen containing gas or any oxygen containing gas which may beactivated by our process.

We claim:

The process of treating liquid organic compounds of the order of esters,phenols, aldehydes,

. ketones, nitro derivatives, and sulphonates, for

tracted by an electrostatic field whereby activation of the gas isproduced by impacts between said charged particles and the said gas andlocated at a point externally of the reaction, and

reacting said gas with the organic compound.

CLARENCE J. FRANKFORTER. DWIGHT B. MAPES.

